Bound in Blood
by TheWalkingSilence
Summary: Re-write! In which Felicity has a stalker. Olicity. Slow burn.
1. Prologue: In the Beginning

**Prologue:**

**Visions from Afar**

He sees her for the first time at exactly 5:15 in the evening on the third Sunday of May. He remembers the day so well because it's his anniversary. He's shopping for a gift, actually, when he spots her.

She is pretty, petite, bright. She is reaching up, high above her head, for something three shelves too high for her. He can't tell what it is from this angle, but she's in the food isle so he can only assume its some type of meal. She is struggling to grab the item she is reaching for. He should go help her. He will go help her.

It isn't very often that people need his help. He tends to fade into the background pretty often, go unseen. Sometimes, when he sees someone in need, he hurries to the rescue. But someone else always swoops in, always saves the day.

It pisses him off.

He wants to help people. He's spent his whole life trying to help people. He's gone to school to help people. And yet every time the chance is presented to him, he finds it ripped away, taken by someone bigger, stronger, faster, and better looking.

He wants to be a hero and he believes in small acts of kindness. The way to show you care, his mother always told him, is through the little things. Not many people need saving from a fire but a great deal of them need help mowing the lawn. If he did that, she told him, he would be a hero. He has always wanted to be a hero.

His brother was a hero, but not the kind of hero that he is striving to be. His brother was great, above him, handsome and worldly and brave. He wants to be like his brother. But he is neither talented nor brave enough to attempt what his brother did. He wants to be a hero, but he isn't brave enough to be a big kind of one.

But that's okay, he tells himself. Small things matter. Small people can still be heroes. And he wants to be a hero. And in that moment, he wants to be a hero for her. She looks like someone who needs a hero. She looks like she needs to know there's always someone looking out for her. He can be that person. He can be good enough for her.

He sets the flowers he's been looking at back where they came from and begins to push the cart forward. The wheels squeak as he goes and he knows it isn't that loud but feels as if everyone is staring at him. She's not, though. She's still looking above her, reaching, like she doesn't notice him. That's okay, he tells himself. She will.

Now that he is closer, he can see what it is that she's reaching for—a bag of chips. Sour cream and onion, in fact. Those are his favorite. In that instant, he knows that he is meant to be there, meant to be her hero. They like the same chips. That must mean something.

The distance between them is shrinking with each step that he takes. The closer he gets, the more beautiful he realizes that she is, and the more nervous he becomes. He's never been very good at talking to pretty girls and she is very, very pretty. Blonde hair frames a heart shaped face; expressive eyes are bright with determination. She has a pink painted lip pulled between her teeth. The dress she is wearing—a pretty blue summer one—rides up just enough so that he can see her thigh. It looks amazing, flexed, balancing on extremely high stiletto heels.

There is no one else in the isle, just she and him. It's the perfect opportunity. He quells his rapidly beating heart, swallows his fear, and takes a step. She's right there, still reaching. Just a little more and—

"Felicity!"

The spell is broken, shattered, laying in pieces all around him.

Suddenly, a man rounds the corner. He is tall and handsome, dressed impeccably in a pair of nice slacks and a form fitting blazer. His shoes are definitely designer. He is carrying himself like he knows exactly what he wants and exactly how to get it. He's holding an expensive cell phone in his hand, absent mindedly typing something away. His eyes, though, those are what really sets him apart. They are large and blue and powerful. Those are the eyes of a man who has power and knows it.

He is staring at this man because he is standing close to the woman of his desire—Felicity. It's such a pretty name and it suits her so perfectly. She looks like a Felicity. A dainty name for a dainty woman.

"What are you doing? We're going to be late," the man speaks again. His demeanor and tone command respect. He steps forward and places a hand on her arm.

He doesn't like this man. There's something not right with him. He is standing much too closely to his Felicity. And then…

…Then, he reaches up. He reaches up like it's nothing and grabs the large bag of chips. He hands it to Felicity, who is now beaming at him.

It's like his whole world is shattered. This time, like every other, he has been out-matched. Someone has beaten him to the punch, someone else is the hero. It's not him. It's never him.

He can feel the anger boiling inside of him. It's strong, stronger than any other type of anger he has ever felt before. He is angry and tired. He is tired of people always besting him. He is tired of always coming in last place. He is tired of never, ever being the hero.

But, he will be. He vows this to himself as he watches that man—no, that monster—place a hand on the small of Felicity's back and lead her from the store. He is touching her so casually, like she is his to do with as he pleases, like he hasn't just taken away _his _chance at happiness, at being a hero.

No, not this time. He will be a hero. He will be like his brother. He will save her. He will save her.

* * *

_**Welcome one and all! This is the official re-write of Bound in Blood. I want to thank everyone who has believed in me and given me the chance to start over and repost this story from the start. I have made some changes and, while they may not be completely noticeable in this chapter, they will be in the chapters to come. I have also changed my writing style up slightly. I feel more comfortable writing this way. I hope you all like it. **_

_**I have chapter one finished and am working on chapter two. I plan on updating at least once a week; hopefully I can fit in more now that I've finished my finals. **_

_**I hope you all like the changes I've made. I know that this is short, but the first chapter will be up later this week. Please read and review!**_


	2. Surprise Parties

_**Wow. Wow. Just wow. 27 reviews on the prologue! Guys, that's amazing! I know I said that it would be a few more days before this chapter, but I want to get it out absolutely now because you all are just amazing! I appreciate each and every one! This chapter is mostly about setting the stage. A lot of the things that happen here are important to the main plot. It may not seem like it now, but it's really this chapter that sets everything in to motion!**_

* * *

**Chapter One:**

**Surprise Parties**

_Two weeks later…_

"I don't think this is such a good idea," Felicity mumbles into her cell phone as she stacks glasses onto the table.

John Diggle's warm laugh filters over the line. "It was your idea in the first place, Felicity."

"Well!" She huffs, attempting to balance the phone between her ear and shoulder as she pulls out two large bottles of wine from the cooler at her feet. "It seemed like a pretty good one at the time. Now, I'm not so sure. Are you almost here?"

"About ten minutes out. Don't worry," Diggle assures her. "Oliver will love it."

Felicity feels her heart give a strange little leap at the sound of Oliver's name. Yes, she tells herself. This is all for him. It's all for him and it will be fine. It's just a surprise party for a man who hates surprises and loathes parties. Oh, God. "What if he has, like, a flashback or something?"

She hadn't thought of that. About two weeks ago, she'd happened to glance down at her calendar and seen the date. They've been so busy lately—what with Slade and Moira and training Roy—she'd completely forgotten that it was getting closer and closer to the end of May. It had only been through sheer accident that she'd even found her calendar. It had been buried under piles of paper at her home. Only when she was looking for something else had she seen it.

"That's not how that works, Felicity," Diggle tells her calmly. He can hear the hysteria slowly creeping into her voice. "He'll be fine. Everything is going to work out great."

Her friend's soothing tone does very little to calm her frazzled nerves. "Have you heard from Sarah?" She wants to know.

"She's got this. I just heard from her. She and Oliver are paying now."

"Paying?!" Felicity shoots a look at the clock hanging on the wall. "Already? You aren't even here yet! And where the hell is Roy?"

"Right behind you."

Felicity jumps about a foot into the air. She places a hand against her heart, feeling its rapid beat beneath her fingers. She whirls around to face Roy. The boy is grinning at her, leaning against one of the many columns in the lair, just a few feet away from her. She hadn't heard him come up behind her. Then again, he walks so quietly now, she supposes that he could slit her throat and she would never know. It's a little creepy.

Oliver is the same way. But she's known Oliver since the very start and she has no secret, dark fear about him coming up behind her, losing control, and slitting her throat. Not that she has that fear about Roy, either. But, well. It's a pretty complicated situation.

And speaking of Oliver…

She rounds on Roy. "If he gets here, you stall him," she orders him. "Hurry back," she snaps at Diggle. She yanks the phone from her ear and practically tosses it across the room.

"Go!" She jabs her finger towards the door. "Go and keep a look out. Let me know when Diggle gets here."

Roy rolls his eyes with such force that his whole head nearly follows. He doesn't complain, though, not willing to deal with a stressed out, pissed off Felicity. He's also not ready to deal with the look on her face when she realizes that Oliver already knows about her little surprise party.

It's hard to keep a secret from someone whose whole life is full of secrets. Oliver has known for about a week now. Roy knows because he's the one that Oliver pulled aside and demanded answers from. Felicity had been acting off, keeping things from him but not from Roy. Oliver had been mad, demanding to know what was going on. And Roy had told him because, well, Oliver was kind of scary when he wanted to be.

Roy seriously doubts, though, that he will tell Felicity. Oliver tends to get really bitchy when it comes to sparing the blonde IT girl's feelings. Roy can see it now. Oliver will come in, act all surprised, Felicity will be happy she's managed to pull the wool over his eyes, and Oliver will be happy because Felicity is. It's enough to make him sick to his stomach. Had it been a party for him, he would have simply told Felicity he knew already to try and save her all the hassle of trying to keep a secret as big as a surprise party.

He says none of this, though, merely turns and stomps up the steps.

Felicity watches Roy disappear, holding her head high. As soon as she hears the door slam, she knows that he's gone and relaxes her shoulders. She places hands on her head and rubs her temples. She can feel a headache coming on. But she knows it will be worth it to see the happy smile on Oliver's face.

She knows that he hasn't had a birthday in…a pretty long time. She can't be sure what they did on the island, but she's pretty sure it wasn't exactly up to par with what he was used to. She doubts that the little get together she'd throwing is what he's used to, either, although she feels like he will appreciate the gesture. Besides, Oliver isn't really that in to huge parties anymore.

Sarah was actually the one who gave her the idea. She remembers that the two of them had been sitting around, scanning her computer screens for anything that might require Arrow assistance.

"Oliver's birthday is coming up," Felicity had told her purely for conversation sake. She was pretty sure that Sarah had been aware of the date rapidly approaching. She had, of course, been friends with Oliver pre-island. She would probably remember before Felicity ever could.

Sarah glanced over at her friend. "I was thinking of throwing him a party."

Felicity had raised her brows. Sarah had probably been all in to parties before, but she didn't really seem like the type of enjoy them now. "A party?"

"Yeah," Sarah nodded. There was a look in her eyes, something far away, something only she could see. Felicity could only imagine what she was remembering. Probably a time before the island, before everything had gone to Hell in a hand basket. "Ollie loved parties."

Felicity had taken what she'd said with a grain of salt at first. Oliver wasn't Ollie anymore and she doubted that he would even remember his birthday. But as she'd fallen asleep that night, she'd dreamed of a decked out lair and a smiling, happy Oliver.

Now, two weeks later, her dream was becoming a reality. The lair hardly looks like the lair anymore. Her computer monitors are devoid of their usual streams of code, bright, lit birthday candle images taking its place. The tables are covered in green plastic table clothes, chairs twisted with streamers. Little pieces of glitter cover the floor. That had been Sarah's idea. While Felicity had been a little iffy—what if it got in her computer monitors—Sarah had assured her that it was all part of the party spirit. Now she's kind of happy her friend had brought it up. It fits in with everything perfectly.

The table normally reserved for gear is now covered in bottles of wine, cans of beer, glasses of vodka and rum. The table beside it is full of great smelling food, all bought from the local deli. Little party hats on strings hang from the ceiling, spaced out by normal, waving streamers. Over the entrance is a large sign, "Happy Birthday, Oliver!" written in curvy script.

It's a little cheesy and kind of out there, but she's sure that Oliver will appreciate the gesture. She's shut off every alarm within the building, cut all the programs that normally alert them to a crime in progress. Starling City survived without the Arrow for years, she's sure that it will be okay for one night. Besides, the whole point of a party is to relax, and she doesn't want Oliver stressed over Arrow business the whole night.

The sound of the basement door opening cuts off her train of thought. Felicity feels her face go red in anger. How many times does she have to tell Roy that he needs to be out there looking for Oliver? All of her hard work will be ruined if he comes in when she's still setting up.

She stomps over to the stairs, hands planted firmly on her hips. "Roy!" She yells. "I told you to watch the—"

She cuts herself off when she realizes that it isn't Roy coming down the steps, but John Diggle. Her anger instantly dissipates and is replaced with a genuine happiness. Her face lights into a smile. "Good! You're here."

Diggle finds that, even though he's been stuck in a traffic jam for the past two hours, he can't help but be happy to see Felicity. Her genuine, happy smile makes it nearly impossible for him to hold any sort of angry feelings around her. "Four car pile-up," he tells her by way of apology.

Her face instantly becomes sympathetic. That is the thing about Felicity that Diggle has always admired. She has this amazing ability to instantly sympathize with anyone, regardless of who they might be. It's a gift that he has not been blessed with, but one that he understands the need for. Especially in their line of work.

"I hope no one was hurt," she says. With anyone else it would have sounded fake but Felicity manages to make it completely genuine.

Diggle waves off her worry. "Have you heard from Sarah?"

The thought of the impending surprise party seems to snap Felicity back to the moment at hand. She places a hand against her forehead and sighs. "Damn it! I knew I was forgetting something." She goes over and grabs her phone from where she had tossed it earlier. She flips it over to see that she does not, in fact, have any missed calls. She groans out loud. "Where the hell are they?"

Diggle moves up behind her. He takes the phone from her hands, putting his hands on her shoulders and gently twisting her around. "Go," he says, pushing her towards the back room. There's a cot back there and a change of clothes for each of them. "Relax. There's still time. Everything is going to go perfectly."

Felicity pulls a face. "Don't lie to me, John Diggle. I'm smarter than you and it won't work."

It is a serious struggle not to laugh. He only holds himself back because he knows that Felicity will be angry and it's obvious that she's already stressed out enough. He looks away to regain him composure, takes a deep breath, and begins to lead her towards the back area. "I'm not lying," he tells her. "Go and rest. Don't you want to enjoy tonight?"

That does it. Her shoulders slump and she lets out an angry sigh. "Fine. But," she tells him, pointing a finger at his chest. "Make sure I'm up before they get here. And call Sarah."

"I've got this, Felicity," he sooths. He pushes her into the back room and smiles at the longing look she gives the cot in the corner. "Just rest. It's going to be great." He gives her one last smile and pulls the door closed behind him.

Roy is waiting for him when he comes back to the main room. The younger man is leaning against the railing, arms crossed over his chest. He looks like he would much rather be somewhere that isn't there.

"Aren't you supposed to be keeping watch?" Diggle asks him skeptically. He moves over to the swivel chair that Felicity keeps in front of her multitude of computer screens.

Roy scoffs. "You know he's known about this all week, right?"

Diggle scowls at him. He casts a quick glance over his shoulder, double checking that the door to the back room is still tightly closed. "It's the thought that counts."

"Not much of a thought when the surprise party isn't really a surprise," Roy tells him. "I don't see the point in this whole façade."

"The point," Diggle hisses roughly. "The point is that Felicity wants to do this for Oliver and so we—as her friends—are supporting her."

Roy pushes off the wall and moves to the little table in the corner. He fingers the edge of the plastic table cloth. "Shouldn't his girlfriend be the one putting this together?"

Diggle sighs roughly, running his hands over his face. He can feel the headache creeping in. "Sarah isn't the only female in Oliver's life, you know." He words it like a question but his tone makes it clear that it's not.

Roy raises a brow in surprise. He hadn't expected the harshness of Diggle's answer. "No," he tells the man across from him. "Just the most important one."

He hadn't meant it as an insult, but Diggle seems to take it as one. The older man's shoulders tense and he gets this look on his face like he's personally offended by what Roy has just said. "Felicity has done more for Oliver than anyone else ever has." His voice is tight, affronted.

"It's not an insult," Roy says defensively. He holds his arms up in front of him. "I never meant it that way. Honestly, I don't think Oliver could function without Felicity."

Diggle gets a faraway look in his eyes. He twists behind him and throws a confusing, emotional glance towards the shut door that Felicity is resting behind. "Maybe if someone told _her _that."

It smacks Roy in the face then, like someone has just hauled back and slapped him with the obvious. It's so obvious, in fact, that he can't understand why he hasn't seen it before. Felicity isn't throwing this party for Oliver; she's throwing it for her.

Roy has been there before. He's felt that way with Thea. It isn't that Felicity wants to actually throw Oliver a surprise party. It's that she wants him to notice that she's done something nice for him; that she can still do nice things for him, still surprise him.

Roy hadn't known Felicity very well before Sarah, but he thinks that he knows her pretty well now. And he's heard stories from Diggle or, even, sometimes from her. He remembers one night where they were sitting around, just him and Felicity. She confided in him that she felt like technology was her best asset. Her only asset.

He knows that Felicity likes Sarah and that Sarah likes Felicity. They are friends. That much is obvious. They are constantly talking, constantly doing things together. They can talk about girl things and laugh about problems that none of the men can ever hold to understand. Neither of them are stupid enough of childish enough to let a man come between them, but Roy can see where Felicity gets frustrated. He would feel the same way had he been in her position.

Suddenly he feels a little bad for picking at her before. Nothing harmful was meant by it, but now he wishes he'd kept his mouth shut. Felicity normally doesn't mind when he's a smart ass, but now probably isn't the best time.

"I think," Roy says then, because he feels like he's overstepped some type of boundary and needs to cross back over to where he's welcome. "I think that Oliver will be happy." And he does honestly think that. Not about the party, probably. But he will be happy because Felicity is.

Diggle laughs a little. "He better fake it real good if he isn't."

Roy smiles and the tense moment from before is gone.

It isn't hard to see that Diggle cares very deeply for Felicity. Roy knows that it's in a different way than most guys would care for pretty girls. He sees Felicity as a friend, a sister someone to look out for and protect even from herself. Roy can relate. He feels his respect for the man in front of him start to blossom. It's one thing to look up to someone for being a good fighter but another completely to look up to someone for being a good person.

The two of them sit in silence for the next half hour. Diggle gets a text from Sarah shorty after they hear Felicity start to snore softly. She and Oliver are about half an hour out. When she texts him again to tell him that they're pulling into the parking lot at Verdant, John gets up to wake Felicity.

He finds her on her side curled into a ball dead asleep. She's taken her hair down and her glasses off and she looks like a completely different person. The worry lines that have been etched into her face this past week are gone. Her skin is smooth and free of any blemishes. She looks so peaceful that John almost doesn't want to wake her up.

He shakes her shoulder gently. "Felicity. Wake up. They're almost here."

Felicity lets out a little yawn and sits up blinking her eyes to clear out the sleep that has gathered there. She runs a hand over her hair and puts her glasses on with the other. "How long was I out?"

"Not long," John says. "Sarah just texted me. They're heading in now."

Felicity is up in a flash. Her twists her hair back into its usual ponytail, brushing stray strands from her eyes. She slips her heel back on her feet as she's trying to move out of the room. She wobbles a little but rights herself before John can even think about helping her.

"Places!" John hears her call out from the other room. "Roy! That's not where you're supposed to be!"

He enters the main hub to see Felicity shoving Roy behind a wall of weapons. It is a serious struggle to hold back his laughter but he manages when Felicity turns to him and point to his designated area. "Hide!" She says.

He makes his way to his spot and Felicity to hers just as they start to hear voices. The door to the lair creeks open and Oliver's voice floods down.

"…a good dinner," the man is saying. Laughter echoes along the walls and down into the main room. "But I think it would have been better if you'd let me get that pie."

Sarah's lilting laughter follows. "I'm sure you'll get enough sweet things by the time the night is over."

The table of drinks in front of him blocks John's view but he can tell that they are getting close to the main room. They both appear to be in a good mood. He knows Sarah genuinely is and it seem real on Oliver's part as well. That's good. He just hopes that his friend can pull off a good surprised face.

From across the room, Felicity gives him the signal. She sees her giving it to Roy as well and on the count of three they all jump up, each yelling, "Happy Birthday!"

Diggle's is calm, Roy's cry is bored, and Felicity's is absolutely joyful. It's perfect.

Roy has to give it to Oliver. The man plays a good surprised face. His eyes go wide and he even bends down a little as if to attack. It's exactly what Oliver would do had he actually been surprised. Had Roy not already known that Oliver was aware of the party he would have genuinely believed the man was shocked. He held the attack pose just long enough for it to be believable and then stood up, his lips curving into a smile.

A quick glance at Felicity lets him know that she doesn't suspect a thing. She is beaming at Oliver, racing over to wrap him in a hug. Oliver reciprocates and Roy sees the look of relief and happiness that he throws both John and Roy himself. It appears he didn't know if he could pull off being completely surprised either.

"What is this?" He asks Felicity once she's pulled away. His eyes scan the room, taking in the streamers hanging from the ceiling, the drinks, the food, the cake. Soft party music plays in the background and it makes the scene just perfect.

"It's a party!" Felicity tells him. "For you. You didn't think we'd forget your birthday, did you?" She gestures to the table with the food on it. "We even got you a cake."

"This was your idea?" Oliver asks. He had known about the party but he didn't know how far Felicity was actually going with things. From the looks of the place she'd spent a lot of time there getting everything together.

"Well," Felicity says. She feels herself go red. Oliver is looking at her like she's amazing and precious and all the stress from the past week is suddenly worth it. "It wasn't all me. Everyone helped. Even Roy."

Roy scoffs in the background. "Thanks for the recognition."

Sarah steps forward, placing a hand on Oliver's shoulder. "Don't let her be modest. It was all Felicity. She bought everything, set it all up."

Oliver had thought that the party had been a group effort but looking around the room and seeing both John and Roy nod along with Sarah he realized exactly how much thought and effort Felicity must have put into this. Something in his heart tightened and he pulled her in for another hug, this one tighter and longer lasting than the other.

Oliver had always been good with certain types of words. He was good with funny words, serious words, party words, romantic words. But he'd never had an easy time speaking genuine words. The sudden lump in his throat was shocking and a little strange to him and he was found that he wanted to say something genuine but couldn't think of enough words to say.

So instead of anything long and drawn out his simple bent to hear ear and said, "Thank you," so softly that he was sure only he could hear it. He thought he felt her shiver but she was pulling away and speaking before he could be sure.

"Well, now that you're here, let's get this party started!"

~X~X~X~X~X~

Five hours later Felicity is feeling the alcohol. She can't exactly remember how many drinks she's had, but she's sure it's a lot. Oliver and Diggle are fine, but Sarah is laughing at things that aren't funny and Roy keeps trying to stand but trips every time. Maybe all the alcohol wasn't such a bright idea in the first place.

Felicity isn't really a drinker, never has been. It's a fear that she's inherited from her mother. Every time she picks up a drink she's sees the woman, sad and alone, propped up against the couch, a bottle of whiskey in hand. It isn't a particularly nice memory, which is one huge reason Felicity mostly refrains from drinking.

But this is a party, she had told herself, a time to let loose. Felicity hardly ever does that. She used to all the time. Every Saturday night she and her girlfriends would go out dancing, hit all the clubs in the area. But then Oliver came along and she'd had to turn them down. Eventually, the calls just stopped coming.

That thought makes her down another shot, slam the glass on the table. "Fifty!" She yells out because she's sure she's had at least that many. It feels that way.

Sarah lets out a hysterical laugh and Diggle smiles softly at her. "I don't think you've had that many, Felicity," he says happily. He leans back in his chair, arms stretched behind his head.

Felicity shakes her head at him. It makes the room spin but that's okay because it's kind of like a marry-go-round. Felicity loves those. "I think you're wrong. It's fifty." She turns to look at Oliver for confirmation. "Right, Oliver? It's fifty. You counted."

Oliver hasn't had much to drink, just two shots and a bottle of beer. He is feeling a little warm, but he's sure it's not even enough alcohol to set him over the legal limit. He's always been good at holding his alcohol, though; probably from those days when he drank so much of it. Felicity though…one shot and a cup of whiskey and she was gone. It's so Felicity that Oliver can't help but smile.

He knows she hasn't had nearly fifty shots; it's more like ten, really. But she looks so determined and so hopeful that he doesn't even consider telling her she's wrong. "I think maybe sixty," he tells her with a smile. From the corner of his eye, he sees John shake his head and shoot him a grateful look.

"Ha!" Felicity exclaims. "I told you!" She leaps to her feet but it's obvious she shouldn't be standing in a pair of sneakers, much less the three in heels she's wearing. She topples a little. Roy and Sarah laugh as she waves her arms.

Oliver is up and by her side in a second. He places one arm around her waist, the other on her elbow. "Okay, there. I think it's time to call it a night."

"Lame!" Roy pouts next to Sarah. The blonde reaches across to high five him. "It's only…" He looks at Sarah and she hold up two fingers. "It's only two in the morning!"

Diggle glances down at his watch. When he sees that Roy is right he hurries to his feet. He hadn't realized how late it is and he had promised Lyla that he wouldn't be out all night. "Ah, Lyla's going to kill me." He grabs his suit jacket from the back of his chair and slides it back on. "Don't worry about it, Oliver. I'll take her home."

Oliver shakes his head when John reaches out to take Felicity from him. "I got her. Just…" He looks over at Sarah and Roy. The two are talking quietly together, trying to pour more shots. "Just get home. I'll come back for them."

John wants to ask if he's sure but Felicity suddenly looks so happy that he doesn't even bother. He just smiles at the two of them. "See you tomorrow," he says. With a quick wave to Sarah and Roy he's up the stairs and out the door.

"Are we gonna go in your new car?" Felicity asks happily her eyes bright with a mixture of alcohol and awe.

Oliver laughs lightly and nods. "Yeah. We are. You can even ride shotgun."

Felicity wiggles a little in his arms and lets out a happy cry. A lot of that excitement comes from the alcohol but she's also been dying for a ride in Oliver's new car ever since she'd gone with him to purchase it. He's managed to keep it from her for three weeks but now…now she's going to have her chance.

She lets him lead her up the stairs and out of the foundry with little struggle. She tosses a wave over her shoulder at Sarah and Roy but their downing more shots and don't seem to notice. She follows Oliver out into the back hallway. The main dance floor is just around the corner and the sheer volume of the music makes the ground around her shake. Oliver's hand at her back is the only thing that keeps her from toppling over.

"Can we dance?" She asks, gripping his arm and trying to pull him in the other direction. She's already started shaking her hips and bobbing her head. It probably looks stupid but it makes her feel cool so she keeps on doing it.

Oliver plants him feet in the ground, holding himself still so that she can't tug him with her. He tightens his grip on her hand and shakes his head. While the idea of a drunken Felicity shaking it on the dance floor is definitely something he'd like to see, now probably isn't the best time considering they both have work in the morning. "But what about my car?" He nudges her shoulder lightly.

His words seem to have the desired effect. Felicity stops trying to get away and starts pushing herself closer to him. "Oh, yeah. Car! Can I drive?"

Oliver shakes his head fondly. "No. You're riding shotgun, remember?"

Felicity pouts. Her painted lower lip juts out and she rips away from Oliver, crossing her arms over her chest. Had she not been drunk, Oliver would have laughed at her. As it is now, he knows she'll probably be offended and start bitching at him. He's seen Felicity drunk before and her moods alternate quickly when she is full of liquid courage.

Before she has a chance to start moaning and groaning, he wraps his hand around hers again and says, "But, if you promise to behave yourself, I'll let you drive it this weekend."

That seems to do the trick. Felicity instantly brightens and Oliver finds that he has no trouble getting her out to the parking lot after that.

His new car—a pretty blue 2014 Ashton Martin Vanquish—is parked way in the back of the club. It's a bit of a walk to get there from the front door but the door just up the steps from the foundry leads right to it. Felicity spots it right away and there's nothing Oliver can do to stop her from ripping from his grasp this time.

She wobbles over to the car, oh-ing and ah-ing as she runs her fingers over the sleek finish. She's definitely smudging the paint job but she looks so happy that Oliver can't bring himself to say anything. He moves so that he's beside her, keeping his arms out in case she tumbles. Felicity doesn't pay him any mind. She's too busy fawning over his car. She's seen it plenty of times before but she's gushing like its brand new and all hers.

"The sooner you get home, the sooner it'll be the weekend," Oliver tells her.

While that it kind of true, it's only Wednesday and Oliver doubts a few hours will make much of a different. It seems to make since to drunk Felicity, though. Suddenly it's her dragging him to the car.

"Hurry up!" She yells at him.

The drive to her apartment takes only about ten minutes. The roads are mostly empty at this time of night, everyone either at home asleep or still out clubbing. He focuses mostly on the drive as Felicity babbles to herself beside him. When they do finally pull up to her complex, he has to help her out of the car.

"Drives smooth," Felicity tells him as he punches in the code to get into the building. "You know what would be even cooler? A touch screen radio. I could put one in for you. I mean…"

Oliver nods along with whatever she's saying, not really paying attention. He pulls the door open and leads her inside the quiet front hall. The door guard, Charles, greets him by name and waves him on through. Most guests are required to sign in but Oliver has been there so many times that it's not an issue for him anymore.

"Come on, Felicity," he says, leading her to the elevator. He has to grab her hand when she tries to press all the buttons. She pouts at him but he merely rolls his eyes and presses the three.

The hallway is dark and silent when they arrive. Oliver leads Felicity to the first door on the left and takes her purse from her digging around for her keys. Once he finally does get the door unlocked, he ushers her inside and closes the door behind them.

He's so distracted that he doesn't even notice the flower resting on the floor beside her door.

* * *

**_And, chapter one is down! I hope you all liked it. Depending on how the finale goes, I might lay two chapters on you this week. We'll just have to see. :) Please read and review! Love you all bunches!_**

**_Next Time...: Oliver has a sort of awkward moment and Felicity thinks that something may be amiss. _**


	3. First Signs

_**So, this chapter should have been up on Wednesday after the finale, but then life got in the way. My roommates kept dragging me places. Anyway, I hope you all like this chapter. It's a little shorter than usual, but this felt like a good place to end it. Thank you so much for all the amazing reviews. They mean the world to me!**_

* * *

**Chapter 2:**

**First Signs**

The next morning finds Felicity waking up with a splitting headache. Groggily, she reaches out from beneath her mountain of covers and slams a fist against the snooze button on her alarm. Her eyes are still closed but she can feel the heat and brightness of the morning sun against her lids. That and the blaring of her alarm let her know that it's time to move.

She sits up slowly, stomach churning with the slightest movement. She places a hand to her temple, rubbing her fingers over the spot. Her Doctor Who clock tells her that it's just after six in the morning.

With bleary eyes, Felicity takes in the room around her. Her pretty yellow sheets are in complete disarray but nothing else seems to be out of place. She is momentarily stunned that everything looks so neat. From the pounding in her head and the conga line going on in her stomach, she's pretty sure she was drunk last night. And yet everything appears to be in its place.

Felicity doesn't come home shit faced very often, but when she does she always wakes up to the same scene; a destroyed bedroom, every light in the apartment on.

That isn't the case now and it isn't until her fingers brush against something rough that everything comes back to her. She picks up the small, crinkled piece of paper from the pillow next to the one she's slept on. It's hard to make out the words with her eyes burning, but she manages to see that it's from Oliver.

_Your clothes are in the wash. Take your time coming in today. Thanks for the party. :)_

It isn't signed but she recognizes his hand-writing and something inside her stomach grows hot and twists. She can't help the small smile that spreads at the little smiley face. It's so unlike Oliver to be cute like that and the thought that he'd been like that for her is almost enough to make her cry in happiness.

The note tells her to take her time coming in to the office but in reality it just makes her want to go more. She wants to thank him in person for bringing her home and doing her laundry.

Tossing the sheets aside, Felicity gets to her feet. Even though Oliver's little note has improved her mood, she still feels like she's been smacked by a truck. The thought of a shower is a tempting one but throwing up is not and she knows that if she doesn't take something soon, she'll be sick all over the floor. She doubts that she'd have a good time cleaning that up. So, a detour to the kitchen it is.

She pads into the kitchen, noticing as she goes that all the lights in the hall and living room have been turned off. She mentally tells herself that's something else she'll have to thank Oliver for. She doesn't bother to flick the light on when she reaches the kitchen. The morning sun streaming in from the window is enough to light her way. She grabs a bottle of Pepto-Bismol and taps a few out. She makes herself a glass of water and tosses the pills back as she heads towards the shower.

The water feels amazing on her skin and Felicity takes longer than she probably should have. By the time she makes it out, it's ten after seven and she has less than an hour until she needs to be at work. She dresses quickly—throwing on a comfortable dress and a low pair of heels. She leaves her hair down because, once she applies make-up, she can tell that not even that is going to cover the bags under her eyes today.

The clock reads 7:45 when she's finally done. Felicity grabs an untoasted bagel from her cupboard and holds it between her teeth. She's in such a rush that when she does finally make it out the door, she almost misses it.

What actually happens is that she drops her cell phone. The floor in the hallway is carpet and so she's not worried about it being broken but it's still enough to make her let out a huff of annoyance. She bends down to pick it up, balancing her bagel and her bag in one hand as she grabs for her phone with the other.

Her fingers brush against something soft and silky. She grabs for it, worrying maybe she's dropped a handkerchief from her purse. Although, when she pulls her hand up, what she sees isn't a handkerchief. It's a rose. It's a vibrant red with a brilliantly green stem. Even though it's obviously slightly wilted, it's still the prettiest rose she's ever seen. She touches the petals with steady hands. The red pieces are soft beneath her fingers. She stands up, bringing the rose with her. She sees her phone beside it and snags that also.

The hallway is otherwise empty. Felicity glances around, wondering if the flower might have fallen from some bouquet or something ornamental. She finds nothing. It's only when she's putting the flower in her purse—it's pretty and she really loves red roses—that she sees the little note attached to the stem.

My Dearest Felicity is written in elegant typeface.

Felicity's face blossoms into a brilliant smile. Oliver. While the 'dearest' is a little much, she truly appreciates his efforts at thanking her for the party. While she'd been stressing about it all week, his little note and this rose really made up for all of that. It's such an Oliver thing to do—so sweet and understated—that she feels her eyes start to brim with tears. He always knows just how to make her feel better.

Felicity neatly tucks the rose into her purse and hurries down to the elevator.

~X~X~X~X~X~

Operations at Queen Consolidated are in full swing by the time Felicity arrives. She's only about ten minutes late, which is pretty amazing considering the traffic and how long it took her to get out of the house. She scurries off the elevator, purse in hand. She keeps glancing down inside of it, looking at the rose and feeling herself flush with happiness.

She swipes her key card and the door to the main business office clicks unlocked. Pushing the door open, she glides inside. Diggle is sitting behind her desk, looking very uncomfortable amidst the pink computer monitor and little lady bug figurines. As soon as he sees her, her shoulders drop and he looks like he's just had a major weight lifted off of him.

"Oliver had me watching your desk until you got here," he said by way of explanation.

Felicity raises a brow once she reaches his side. She sets her purse against the floor and leans a hip against the side of the desk. "Uh-huh," she says, her tone making it obvious she doesn't buy that for a second.

In his defense, Diggle manages to hold her gaze for a good two minutes before he finally cracks. He reaches under her desk and pulls up a beautiful bouquet of a dozen red roses. They are nearly a perfect match to the one she found outside her door, nestled inside a beautiful crystal vase. "He had an emergency conference call but…he wanted you to have these."

Felicity drops the tough girl act in an instant, her arms uncrossing from her chest and her lips twitching up into a wide smile. She reaches out to take the flowers from Digg. She's surprised at how elegant and beautiful the crystal vase is. She can tell almost immediately that it's actually real crystal and not that cheap imitation plastic that a lot of people buy. Her eyes sting with tears.

"He tried to bring them to you earlier but you didn't open the door and he didn't want to just leave them there," John continues to explain, reaching out a hand to rub his fingers against one of the petals. His own lips pull into a smile, although it isn't nearly as beaming as Felicity's. "He'll never say it out loud, but that party meant a lot to him. I haven't seen him smile that much in a long time."

Felicity can feel the beginnings of a sob working its way up her throat. She has to place a hand against her lips to keep it at bay. She runs a finger down the side of the vase, careful not to leave any smudges. There isn't a note but she assumes that it was on the rose that fell onto her hallways floor.

She bends down and procures the single rose from her purse. She smiles at it and then places it in the vase, nestling it among the others just like it. The paper with her name on it stands out brilliantly against the deep reds and greens of the roses. It's perfect.

She must have been staring because when John clears his throat he's giving her a funny look. "My…favorite flowers are roses," she tells him to cover her little slip. She cheeks burn.

Diggle gives her in indulgent smile. "I wonder how he knew that." The way he says it makes it clear that he is the one who told Oliver.

Adoration bubbles in Felicity's stomach. She can just picture Oliver pacing, wondering what she likes, and Diggle swooping in with the rescue. She bends down and wraps him into a hug. "Thank you," she says and it's the most honest thing she thinks she's said in a while.

A throat clearing breaks their little moment. Felicity pulls away from Diggle and spins to see Isabel Rochev giving her a nasty look. The older woman is dressed impeccably that day, her pantsuit obviously designer, her make-up perfect, hair swept back from her face with a pretty sparkling barrette that goes perfectly with her nude colored shoes.

"Mr. Diggle," she says with no greeting. "I didn't know your job description involved covering for Ms. Smoak when she's late. Don't you have somewhere else to be?"

Diggle stares at Isabel for a few long moments before sweeping his gaze to Felicity. The blonde merely shrugs at him. She knows that he's asking her permission to leave. One look from her and he'll make up some excuse about why he needs to be at her desk. But Isabel's eyes and tone are serious and Felicity is in such a good mood that she doubts anything the woman says can ruffle her feathers today.

Felicity gives him a small smile. "I'll see you at lunch, John."

Diggle can see that she's dismissing him. He doesn't very much like it—Felicity and Isabel haven't had the best relationship since coming back from Russia. But he also knows that it will make Felicity look bad if he tries to undermine her authority right now. Besides, he's pretty sure that she can handle herself; at least around Isabel Rochev.

He gives her a nod, knowing that she'll take it as the fact that he's leaving but doesn't like it. She shoots him a grateful smile in return. The last thing John sees as he rounds the corner is Isabel stepping closer to Felicity.

"Since you're late," the brunette says as soon as John is out of ear shot. "I don't expect you to have gotten the memo. But there's a very important meeting with some of the board at Star Labs today at noon and I need the conference room spotless."

Felicity is, in fact, aware of this meeting. Oliver had briefly mentioned it to her last week. Although from the looks of things it appears Isabel hadn't been told until today. Felicity only feels momentarily guilty for the jolt of pleasure that realization sends her.

"I'll make sure everything is spotless," she says instead of what she's thinking which isn't actually very nice.

Isabel gives her a frozen smile. "See that you do." And then she's walking away, thousand dollar stilettos clacking against the marble flooring as she makes her exit.

Felicity watches her go, proud that she didn't let the vapid woman destroy her great mood. As soon as Isabel is out of sight, she turns back to her desk to begin a checklist for the day.

~X~X~X~X~X~

Felicity spends the majority of her morning setting up the conference room for the meeting at noon. Every once in a while she finds herself looking over her shoulder to see if Oliver has returned to his office, although every time his chair is empty, the door closed and locked. She wonders briefly but doesn't have much time to worry about it because every time her thoughts start to go that direction, some emergency pops up.

This meeting with Star Labs is supposed to be an amazing opportunity for Queen Consolidated. The two companies will be discussing some type of merger and, while Felicity doesn't really understand a whole lot of business-related things, she does know that mergers are more often than not good things for both companies involved.

Oliver had mentioned to her that some of the big-wig board members were coming. While normally this isn't something extremely impressive to her—Queen Consolidated gets important guests all the time—he had hinted that the Vice President may be dropping by as well. About an hour into the work day, Isabel had stopped by Felicity's desk again, letting her know that he was coming and she expected everything to be set up accordingly.

By 11:30 the conference room is immaculate. Felicity has swept and dusted, polished the wood. She's set pens and paper at each chair, a pitcher of iced water with lemons in the center. The room looks brand new and when Isabel comes to check on it, even she is grudgingly appreciative.

"It's nice to see even someone as unfit for this job as you can make a room look presentable."

It's as nice a compliment Felicity has ever expected to get from the woman and so she takes her words with a light-hearted smile and a simply nod. Isabel breezes past her into the room, taking up the seat at one end of the table. Felicity knows that Oliver will take the other.

After Isabel is seated and semi-comfortable looking, Felicity takes her leave of the conference room. She hurries back to her desk just in time to see Oliver come around the corner. He looks stressed, hands balancing a huge stack of papers and folders. Felicity rushes to his side quickly.

"Give those to me," she says, taking the pile from him without waiting for an answer. "What is all this? Why aren't you in the conference room? Isabel's going to kill me if you aren't there, like, now."

Oliver reaches out to try and take his stack of paper back but Felicity darts out of his reach. Oliver frowns at her. "Isabel's going to be fine. We have another fifteen minutes at least." He makes another grab for the papers but one glare from Felicity and he backs off. "These are new employment sheets. I'm supposed to be going over them after the meeting."

Now aware that these sheets aren't anything important, she takes them over and deposits them at the edge of her desk. "Well, you could have told me and I'd have gotten them on my lunch break." She spins to face him, not at all shocked to see that he's staring at the flowers on her desk.

"Do you like them?" He asks, reaching out to touch the vase. He sounds so unsure for a moment—so unlike confident, cocky Oliver Queen—that Felicity is taken aback. He seems to take her silence as something negative, because he hurries on. "I tried to drop them off earlier. But then I realized you were probably still asleep, so I just—"

"I know," Felicity interrupts. It feels funny to be the one interrupting him for a change. "Digg told me. They're beautiful. But you didn't have to."

"I did," Oliver says seriously. He places a steady hand on her elbow and smiles at her. It's one of his genuine ones, the kind he saves for special people. Felicity is suddenly honored by how often he saves that smile just for her. "It meant a lot, last night. I wanted you to know that. No one really…you're a good friend, Felicity Smoak."

Felicity feels her heart both drop and soar at the word 'friend'. It's a strange feeling, one she's not entirely familiar with. It's something she'll have to think about later, when she has time to dissect her emotions. For now, she just tells herself to be happy.

"I wanted to do it," she promises him.

Oliver shakes his head. He lets his hand trail from her elbow to her wrist, squeezing her fingers with his. His eyes flash with something but it's gone so fast that Felicity is sure she's imagined it. "Still."

He looks like maybe he wants to say more but the sound of his name being called snaps them both out of whatever sort of trance they've found themselves in. Felicity turns around. Isabel is leaning against the open door to the conference room, hands propped on her hips.

She eyes them so closely that Felicity feels as if she's done something wrong. She pulls away from Oliver quickly, so intent on Isabel that she misses the look Oliver sends her. Isabel, however, doesn't.

"If you're done flirting, I'd appreciate it if you'd grace us with your presence," she said snobbishly. "You are the CEO, after all." Felicity flinches slightly at her tone. The way she says CEO, it's almost as if she's angry Oliver is head of the company.

Oliver looks at Isabel and then at Felicity and she sees that he's ready to argue. Rather than cause a massive blow out in the middle of the QC conference room, Felicity decides to step in. She steps in front of Oliver so that he is now only looking at her, not Isabel. "Hey," she tells him quietly. "Go. If you really feel the need to make up for your party, you can buy me dinner later. At Bella Cucina."

Oliver smiles at her. It's the smile that Felicity knows is reserved for people of importance. It makes her heart flutter to think she's one of them. "Ah, I see what this is all about. You threw me that party just so I'd have to take you out to fine cuisine and make up for it." His voice is serious but his eyes show her that he is only joking.

Felicity places a hand over her heart. "A girl's gotta eat," she tells him with as serious a face as she can muster.

Oliver's eyes light up. He places a warm hand on her shoulder. Felicity feels her heart stutter at the touch and she can tell by how his smile turns to a smirk that she's blushing terribly. He winks at her and turns, disappearing into the conference room with Isabel. The woman gives Felicity a frosty glare and then closes the door behind them with much more force than Felicity thinks is strictly necessary.

She only turns when she sees that they have both settled down at different parts of the table. Through the glass, Felicity can see Isabel's mouth moving and Oliver looking bored already. She has to fight a smile as she goes back to her desk.

She's pretty sure her face is on fire when she finally sits down. She looks at the roses on the edge of her table, sees the little note Oliver wrote, and wonders for the first time since she'd awoken this morning what the hell he's thinking.

Felicity isn't the best at reading people. She knows that. But she had been so sure—for just a second—that when he'd looked at her…There'd been something there. What it was, she isn't sure, but the very thought of it makes her cheeks red and her heart flutter.

Pretty soon the board members from Star Labs arrive. Felicity greets them with a distracted smile, asking to take their coats—although she has no idea why some are wearing them in June—and ushers them into the conference room. Oliver and Isabel stand to greet their guests and even Felicity has to admit that Isabel can pull off a nice smile when she's genuinely pleased with something.

"Thank you, Miss Smoak," Oliver says. His voice is all about professionalism but his eyes are bright.

Felicity ducks out smoothly, responding with a quick but polite, "Of course, Mr. Queen."

* * *

_**And there you have it, folks. Chapter 2 is done! Did you all like the finale? To be honest, I was a little pissed. Then I started to see maybe where the writers were taking things. Still, it only fueled my resolve more to write this story and give Olicity a happy ending!**_

…_**Or will I? You'll just have to wait and find out. **_

_**Thank you to everyone who reviewed and please keep it up! It means so much. I'm looking for a beta reader so if anyone would be interested, please PM me. :)**_

_**Next Time…: Oliver and Felicity share a dinner. Meanwhile, not everything is what it seems at the cozy Bella Cucina.**_


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